EEVblog #1238 - Vion: The World's Worst Multimeter!

You think a $2 multimeter is bad?
A review of the Kickstarter & Indiegogo Vion bluetooth multimeter that promised the world.
Grab your popcorn for a master class in idiotic product design.
The world's worst multimeter.
The original thread: www.eevblog.com/forum/dodgy-technology/vion-the-worlds-silliest-multimeter/
Forum: www.eevblog.com/forum/blog/eevblog-1238-vion-the-worlds-worst-multimeter/
#Vion #Kickstarter #FAIL
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[@StillCloser]

Hey look, it's the multimeter for millenials !!! LOL

[@EEVblog]

They got what they deserved.

[@EEVblog]

@tone167 That's only available on the Hipster model.

[@basshead.]

Still better than nothing.

[@BurntTransistor]

Hey come on now, I'm a millennial and I have a Fluke 87V. Not all of us millennials are totally hopeless :P

[@daa3417]

basshead No a piece of test equipment that is incapable of any reasonable accuracy has less than no function, it’s literally worse than nothing.

[@Skauber]

Isn't it obvious why the carrying case for the Vion is so huge? It's so you can fit your real multimeter in there when you toss the Vion out! :)

[@mukarramhassan8795]

😂🤣

[@Marci124]

It was most likely some surplus from another product that the factory they commissioned had lying around. This way they only had to custom manufacture the plastic shell.

[@pr0xZen]

This. Surprised it doesn't come with a backup ZT102 in the box.

[@ifohancroft]

That's the product. A real multimeter carryig case. Inside, you get a bonus cheap toy multimeter.

[@sorryifoldcomment8596]

@Marci124 Oh 100%

[@todesgeber]

perfect! i've been looking for a tool like this for working on my solar highway project!

[@jamesgrimwood1285]

Solar powered multimeter!

[@machmar]

I love your idea of solar panels on the road. You should make a indiegogo campain an make it a big thing. Make it with leds so you can show lanes on it automaticly. If you make a indiegogo let me know, Ill back you.

[@st_us]

We are still 50 Million short on funding though.

[@machmar]

@@st_us change the name to something catchy. Like SOLAR FRIKIN ROADWAYS or something.

[@cheesecake667]

Don’t forget your graphene!

[@uiopuiop3472]

"Voice Guidance" Sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't let you measure that bulb

[@optiskeptic4746]

@@spot997 or tearing the label off your mattress. Or failing to rinse and repeat in the shampoo test.

[@Ametisti]

This is clearly a Gaming Multimetre. It has RGB!

[@bache2493]

And Bluetooth !!!!

[@NymdaFromDeepSalad]

RGB == +200 fps. Change my mind

[@kontra93]

18:00 Location permission is required if an app uses Bluetooth scan feature because it can be used to scan nearby Bluetooth beacons; which, in turn, can be used to locate you.

[@BurntTransistor]

It's a safety feature! When the device leads you to getting electrocuted, it can alert the hospital of your location.

[@johnfrancisdoe1563]

Kontra Indeed, and in their infinite dishonesty, Google forces the security prompts to say something fundamentally different than what they actually ask. Permission to send your data anywhere: No prompt, no setting, hidden permission. Permission to use files: Prompt about photos. Permission to check Bluetooth stuff: Prompt about location.

[@thomasbonse]

@@BurntTransistor Nah, it'll just automatically buy their choice of coffin for you (through their Amazon affiliate link, of course).

[@Valenorious]

It's also required for figuring out the corrections for the local magnetic field.

[@JGnLAU8OAWF6]

@@johnfrancisdoe1563 you still can explain it properly inside your app.

[@ncc74656m]

Dave, I think the lack of randomly color coded LEDs on the 121GW is a serious design oversight.

[@EEVblog]

Agreed. Rev 2.

[@iamdarkyoshi]

@@EEVblog To be fair, an RGB backlit LCD might be handy with some things as a quick at a glance indicator, but I can't think of an actual use lol

[@mozismobile]

Minimum 3 RGB LEDs, otherwise the rainbow chase sequence just looks like random blinking.

[@KACPER050599]

Red blinking backlit can be for input overload for example, but it's just a gimmick anyway

[@MrKrabat95]

it's also missing the ability to use it as a bluetooth speaker. Everything needs an build-in bluetooth speaker.

[@AttilaAsztalos]

It's what you get when product "designers" and marketing folks get drunk on buzzwords and fail to realise there are very good reasons why their shiny-new-bestest-idea-ever-magic-product doesn't already exist. That's what surrounding yourself with yes-men (or deliberately dismissing those who aren't) gets you.

[@raphanunu6912]

There's a taste of bitterness in your words. I know this feeling. It's a poor compensation to be right when you're not listened.

[@PokeMaster22222]

What happens if you surround yourself with no-men, instead of yes-men?

[@turolretar]

@@Gavs722 are you speaking the language of gods

[@Rightclick88]

2:50 I love how in the introduction video he doesn't just sweep his old multimeter off the table but also the electronics he was going to measure. more dramatic i suppose, haha.

[@fabronfretwell3257]

He already tested them with his new schmart meter, they were all bad!

[@HPD1171]

FINALLY!!! a multimeter that can measure the output of my batterizers correctly. my Fluke 87 kept giving me bad readings and showing me zero volts when clearly batterizers are the best and should always work. the app on my phone is saying GOOD in nice big green letters so clearly my fluke was unnecessary an I should just sell it

[@fabronfretwell3257]

And sell all your broken devicerizers that don't turn on with those good batterizers.

[@HighestRank]

Believe the one data point off the scale was yours.

[@und4287]

The Fluke was a fluke.

[@lochinvar00465]

Maybe you just needed to turn it on, or repair/replace your leads.

[@fersunk]

I think that I can do a better DMM with an Arduino Uno and a bunch of recycled components while I'm drunk writing some code

[@EEVblog]

I'll hold your beer

[@farukkaya4396]

Actually it seems like producers had the same idea with you.

[@DreitTheDarkDragon]

Do it and send it to Dave, he would be glad to compare both "multimeters"

[@felixcosty]

This would be great, building a DMM.

[@grimgoreironhide9985]

You actually can now build a decent multimeter using a Digilent DMM Shield for Arduino. I have one myself and it uses a Hykon tech chipset.

[@dsldsl6460]

I want my multimeter to ring every time I use the phone ....

[@qwertykeyboard5901]

Turn dial to mode Apply probes Read number yep, multimeters are very hard...

[@RichardWatt]

I think my 25+ year old multimeter was better value than the Vion....

[@Arcanattg]

@@RichardWatt Even my $5 dollar multimeter from hardware store is better value than the Vion

[@mkontent]

Oh no but it's not logging! I've got to store the value in my wee head

[@MJSeo13]

That thing costs 140 bucks??! Seriously? rather buy Mooshi meter or something like Fluke 117, even more less money. Chinese cheapo meters can much more handle that..

[@EEVblog]

I don't think it's that much, but yeah, a $2 meter works better than this does.

[@frankbuss]

It was US$ 50 in the Kickstarter campaign. But some comments in the Kickstarter campaign complained about high import taxes and shipping cost.

[@MJSeo13]

@@frankbuss I see. Actually the oringial costs in Korea was around 65$(78,000 Won) including ship. but hey, seriously..

[@EEVblog]

@@frankbuss Yeah, I think some had to pay like $50 extra or something to get it in the country.

[@John_Ridley]

A $2 Chinese meter is safer on mains too. Neither has a proper fuse but with this one you've got the fuse under a pop-off cover held in your hand. That thing explodes and it won't contain the blast at all from your hand.

[@jamesgrimwood1285]

Do you find multimeters difficult to use? Then you probably shouldn't be shoving probes into things. Unless you have your safety helmet on.

[@markpitt5248]

I was thinking that. If you are too daft to work out what the symbols for ohms, volts and amps are you should't be messing around with electric.

[@alanpartridge2140]

You guys don't know what ur talking about. My toaster kept on tripping the electric so I removed that green and yellow wire from the plug, works fine now, seriously what's the point of that wire, u only need 2 wire to make a circuit.

[@alanpartridge2140]

^^^ATTENTION FOOLS^^^DO NOT DO THIS ^^^

[@battleangel5595]

Bah! I'll prove three phase power is a myth. A MYTH I tell you! Oh... you're Charles Darwin? I was expecting someone else...

[@raphanunu6912]

@@alanpartridge2140 : You're right ! One wire is enough provided you do the second. It works fine indeed.

[@Knight_Astolfo]

blue = ac, blinking blue = charge battery? "Yes, I'd like a new AC battery, please"

[@theuncalledfor]

So, a battery with an inverter?

[@Knight_Astolfo]

@@theuncalledfor well, now you're think clearly. That's unacceptable in the world of farcical crowdfunding campaigns!

[@lesliefranklin1870]

AC battery? Yes of course. You just have to flip it over fifty times a second.

[@leoakirakblo]

This "multimeter" will be useful to test solar highway in remote places... LOL

[@zvpunry1971]

Especially for solar highways in tunnels! It is really dark in tunnels, so it might be useful to look at a cellphone display instead of these grey reflective displays they use on regular multimeters.

[@nrdesign1991]

@@zvpunry1971 Backlit/OLED multimeters do not exist.

[@zvpunry1971]

At least not in tunnels with solar roads. ;)

[@nrdesign1991]

@@zvpunry1971 You could detect where your technician is, shining their phone on the solar road below.

[@MarkusLaire]

Just not too remote - you must have Internet connection so you can log in to app.

[@gustavgnoettgen]

"smart" had another meaning, years ago in the past.

[@lbochtler]

If you dont understand the jargon on a traditional meter, you should not be using it

[@bami2]

You can probably fit a proper multimeter in that case. Also it says "made in korea", it doesn't mention which korea!

[@daf0975]

Those sneaky juche bastards!

[@mjouwbuis]

They might have had it built by a real multimeter manufacturer such as Protek. If I were Protek I would also suggest it was made up North instead.

[@dashcamandy2242]

North Korea is a very isolationist nation. I doubt anything they produce ever goes far beyond Pyongyang. On the other hand, South Korea is a massive electronics exporter. It's a pretty fair assumption.

[@SianaGearz]

@@mjouwbuis A company like that would actually have a supply chain rather than hoping that random sight unseen parts from China are of adequate quality. Maybe they attached the battery in South Korea and deemed this sufficient to call it "made in".

[@tubical71]

exactly the one which produces these battarizers

[@lbochtler]

So this is what an art student designed multimeter looks and works like

[@sonictech1000]

If you're going to to the trouble of making a talking dmm the least you can do is to have it scream when you exceed its max voltage.

[@km5405]

and it makes a Wilhelm scream if you overload it in current mode.

[@mozismobile]

I want a "Voice of Dave" option. And ideally a "Big Clive" voice as well. Maybe that's how they will monetise it... you can buy different voices?

[@MrCuddlyable3]

@sonictech1000 In English the words ITS and IT'S are spelled differently because they mean different things.

[@sonictech1000]

@@MrCuddlyable3 No kidding genius. Autocorrect on my phone always converts its to it's and I'm not going to proofread every joke.

[@MrCuddlyable3]

@@sonictech1000 The big joke was selling a faulty phone to a lazy user who thinks he's a comedian.

[@Rickmakes]

I accidentally measured a car battery with my free Harbor Freight meter when it was plugged into the amp socket. It let out smoke and a wire melted through the case. It still worked as a voltage meter after that happened.

[@BurntTransistor]

Cool story bro

[@SproutyPottedPlant]

BurntTransistor what is this 2012??

[@alanpartridge2140]

@@BurntTransistor Well it's not an unremarkable story

[@fabronfretwell3257]

Remarkable story sir

[@grimgoreironhide9985]

Wait till Soulja Boy makes his own Soulja Meter.

[@KrotowX]

And competing Beats multimeter by Dre for 999$ only.

[@GMCLabs]

If you don't know how to use a multimeter, you have no business messing with anything electrical.

[@TheChrisey]

Let's compare the two logically and rationally. A multimeter requires you to select the mode, and read the output. These requires you to have your cell phone at hand, download and install an app, link to the probes through bluetooth, and then figure out the app interface. I wonder which one is more difficult to use...

[@mattj2217]

I really enjoyed this ad for the 121GW :D

[@EEVblog]

Busted.

[@mozismobile]

Can I get a trade-in on my Vion?

[@antoineroquentin2297]

Can't they invent an oscilloscope that just shows "good" or "bad"? that would simplify my work a lot

[@EEVblog]

I'm sure they can!

[@markpitt5248]

I make my living as a software developer, I work in whats hilariously called 'Business Intelligence'. Originally BI was all about giving as much data to management so they could analyse and make insights, however it shows how data illiterate these overpaid people with MBAs coming out their arses really are. Now the most common request I get is to just show good/bad in the most childish way possible (e.g. big green smiley face or bright red thumbs down etc) and forget about all that granular data, oh no they are too important to actually think and work through the figures anymore.

[@antoineroquentin2297]

I should have patented it :(

[@andrewbarnett84]

@@antoineroquentin2297 Some of the more expensive oscilloscopes for production testing do just that, I have worked on systems to do production testing using Labview in the background and giving a pass/fail from analog and digital inputs of all kinds even vision inputs to check if parts are around the correct way etc. Here is a RIGOL example. kzbin.info/www/bejne/apPKkJ-Eqcmlm9k

[@bostedtap8399]

Turn up to a secure site (EG. no photography allowed), and say I need my smart phone for electrical fault finding! Interesting App though.

[@ssjgogetta]

"A multi-meter has one job."

[@lastxp]

Multiply

[@GeekIWG]

Would have been better if they made made the probes both fully wireless, getting rid of that annoying cord between them 😂

[@BurntTransistor]

lmao, awesome

[@l3p3]

Rev 2.0

[@raymundhofmann7661]

@@l3p3 Rev 3 will be single probe

[@johnfrancisdoe1563]

Raymund Hofmann I always liked my single probe mains rated meter and know it's limitations, but young people keep posting videos about it being dangerous crap.

[@petehiggins33]

They could have used your finger as the second probe.

[@sswpp8908]

2:38 If they added on the desaturation filter this video could appear in a late night informercial.

[@HighestRank]

Spencer Williams have you noticed the filter with which infomercials augment their audio? It’s insidious!

[@godfreypoon5148]

Massive missed opportunity.

[@wtfiswiththosehandles]

I don't trust your expertise, Dave, you have no moustache...

[@Laz_Arus]

Dave's squeaky voice meter hit 11 and stayed there for the duration of this review 😉

[@LaserFur]

My 25 year old Radio shack meter is a better meter than that thing. And they make yellow cheap meters at stores for like $4 that is better.

[@alanpartridge2140]

Agreed, I bought a meter from Aldi about 10 years ago for no more than £10, I've changed the 9V battery once, sure it's not the best but it's good enough and has saved me £100s in what I've been able to repair with it

[@SurajGrewal]

Those yellow cheap metres, since people give them free for their shop's advertisment.(with their addresses at the back side)

[@maximilianmustermann5763]

I bought an Aneng AN8002 a while ago on a discount for 13 bucks (normal price is around 17) and it made me regret I ever bought a Fluke. It's just as accurate and it is very small, lightweight and runs on two AAA batteries. Dave did a review on that thing and even he was pleasantly surprised. They even have bluetooth multimeters and multimeters with graphic displays at banggood starting from 45 dollars, and I am pretty sure those are much better than the Vion...

[@SurajGrewal]

@@maximilianmustermann5763 the only problem is, those are unsafe to use (not a big deal for EE) and just die any day. I've seen them die (in the hands of field users) before the battery in finished

[@lasmurf4175]

@@maximilianmustermann5763 haha.....you ever measured on FC's.... There's a reason why industrial MM have their price !

[@n2n8sda]

Comparing a load of crappy meters could be a fun video... i read about this vion... nice to see it aha.

[@DrakkarCalethiel]

He really could do a ranking of about 10 multimeters to find the most crappy and dangerous one. This Vion would be pretty high up on that ranking. Even those 2 buck multimeter are MUCH better than this turd!

[@random007nadir]

I've got a no name Chinesium auto range meter from AZtronics in Adelaide that's about 20% out on every kind of measurement. I thought it couldn't get worse than that until now.

[@johnfrancisdoe1563]

Jonathan Pearce There's also the one that Dave claimed almost killed him years ago (before he was selling a competing meter), or the newish Fluke lambasted by AvE.

[@DrakkarCalethiel]

It was one of those Extech RC200 SMD Tweezer Multimeters. It was eevblog #94.

[@Fritzenlab_Br]

He has actually done a video comparing cheap multi-meters in the past, just look for it.

[@hector5851]

-David, give him your wallet. -What for? -He's got a multimeter. -Ha ha ha, that's not a multimeter, THAT'S A MULTIMETER.

[@mrkiky]

This comment deserves way more recognition 😂

[@garageadz]

I'm actually quite surprised at the internals. When you cracked it open I really expected a bunch of roulette wheels to be attatched to the data output.

I'm going to make an improved version of this with IoT, using graphane and where the measurement data is stored in a blockchain. And for the poor battery life? Instead of being this stupid portable thing, it'll be a solar roadway with probes, obviously!

[@ajar1000]

You forgot the carbon nanotubes

[@alanpartridge2140]

Ah good new marketing buzzwords, don't knock them, you can make a killing by fleecing fools.

[@dashcamandy2242]

Can't you make it run off a UBeam instead of batteries?

[@igmusicandflying]

If you worked AI and machine learning into that, I could've secured you 5 million in Series A funding, but you blew it.

[@BullCheatFR]

Nano diamond carbon 14 tubes powered. Very high performance BLE 5.1+ processing microchip

[@gblargg]

10:25 For charging they could have just had you stick the probes into a plug outlet.

[@toxanbi]

How to tell the thing that it is expected to (and allowed to) sink significant current for charging itself rather than sinking utrla-low current which is required for measurements if you are measuring high output impedance voltage source?

[@Basement-Science]

haha that would be pretty funny

[@YCbCr]

@@toxanbi Power button? Fun idea though, hang it onto 5 V (USB+custom socket?) and let it charge.

[@volodumurkalunyak4651]

If it is mains - connected (100-240 V AC) then mains-charging.

[@LordGryllwotth]

Yah gonna blow the battery! I would use a resistor in series to limit the current.

[@codyorlovsky2686]

Hahahah the part where you saw the "pie chart" 18:23 and then realized that it wasn't a pie chart had me cracking up !!

[@JayP19AD]

If my apprentice brought one of these to work I’d have his license revoked!

[@garethevans9789]

It's all fun and games until it says the mains electric is off, and somebody actually trusts it... The whole multimeter for people who don't know how to use a multimeter is just a bad idea. The autodetecting cannot work full stop, there is no way you can tell if a battery is ok unless you know the configuration. They showed it testing LiPo batteries, how does it know how many are in series? Without sounding snobby, if you don't know enough to use a basic £10 multimeter, you probably shouldn't be playing with electricity. Had they gone for adding the Bluetooth, and graphing functions to a cheap/ basic off the shelf multimeter, it could have been successful. It's ironic how they say a normal multimeter is too bulky, when those probes are huge (I have much smaller screwdrivers!). The 121GW does look like a solid product, shame it's a little overkill for my needs.

[@maximilianmustermann5763]

exactly, the only thing in a multimeter that must absolutely not be bulky are the probes.

[@UltraRik]

stats for people who made that thing: software engineering: 0 mechanical engineering: 0 electrical engineering: negative infinity

[@JanicekTrnecka]

Spell checker status (while writing manual) : OFF

[@Pentross]

First time I’ve heard of this thing, I actually liked the look of it for 5 seconds then I remembered I don’t have a third hand to hold my phone which doesn’t have a built in stand

[@chris746568462]

33:17 LOL at the +/- on the kettle... and Fluro tube! We still have several Fluke 73 iii meters at work. Still going strong with minor battle scars.

[@sonictech1000]

I watched the entire video and I still can't decide what's worse, the concept or the implementation.

[@EEVblog]

Tough choice.

[@heyt54]

... or the relentless rant.

[@mcghej]

I think you are supposed to drill out the cover to expose the micro USB plug for ease of recharging

[@antonypilepich8947]

loving all your videos, only recently found you last week. in a week i have learnt so much, thank you. (im a 60 y/o hobby electronics dude in Aust.) and now you have given me what has to be one of the most entertaining vids Ive seen. Thanks. Cheers Buddy.

[@Hdhshsbssjsjsj]

for grandparents too, this is gonna be her new X-mas present lol.

[@FurEngel]

You keep reminding me I need to send something into the mail bag...

[@signalworks]

Man i don't even need notifications because I live on KZbin anyways

[@EEVblog]

The new-age idiot box

[@agenericaccount3935]

@@EEVblog All my favourite idiots are on it. Including me.

[@EEVblog]

@@agenericaccount3935 I make a living being an idiot.

[@EEVblog]

@Dave Micolichek I can highly recommend the idiot career path. Keep working at it.

[@HighestRank]

Dave Micolichek move to Oz, ٦٥٦.ًُْٰ

[@dnb5661]

The ad for that multimeter is just like those infomercial ads to buy the latest laundry soap.

[@anthonysibley1021]

A 3 handed multimeter? Brilliant... I can clip one or both to the back of most of my meters to make it 2 or 1 handed....and the battery lasts months/years 🤯

[@acynder1]

Whit 5h of battery I would have to swap it midturn, I work 9 to 7 ish 8 This thing is utterly stupid... also with a full cycle each day, that batt aint gona make it to 8 months. Didn't they, I dunno... Ask an electrician what he needs from a multimeter? I mean I work with 2 of them, a cheapo pen multimeter and a fluke amperimetric clamp. The fluke is the one that I use when I want precision, the other I can live with 5 volt off from a 240V measurent 350 max voltage for the kickstarter multimeter? I cant even trifasic 400V!!! I cant go near a power line with it.

[@bingfannumberone]

lmao same thing i thought

[@richardgoebel226]

3 handed meter? Pah! I have a prehensile penis that holds the meter while I have the probes in my hands. No worries.

[@tonywalton1464]

Classic "solution looking for a problem" thing.

[@Rob2]

I have one of those $5 "component tester" boards from China and it does work quite nicely compared to this. And of course the Aneng AN8008 multimeter...

[@YCbCr]

Complement it with a Mustool MT866. Can't stop geeking out over the DC clamp function :)

[@electricalmayhem]

I use one as well for work just as a cheap tester for higher value motor capacitors out of range of my standard multimeter, and find its component identification quite impressive. Just adding Bluetooth to one of those would be several times better then this!

[@SianaGearz]

The LCR-T4 is an impressive device indeed. Granted it's just stolen from the open-source Transistortester project on the mikrocontroller forum (with a k), but stealing well and knowing what to steal is apparently an art too! One that the makers of this device could have benefitted from greatly.

[@Rob2]

@@SianaGearz Yes I know it is kind of a rip-off although many different forked versions exist. Apparently the Vion developers were not clever enough to "borrow" this code... (of course it is 3-terminal but it could be used in limited form for 2-terminal devices)

[@haajee1]

I have also the Aneng AN8002 and for the price it´s a amazing good! :) Bside has the same Aneng AN800* meters rebranded but also nice clamp meters for the price. The other Aneng series are not so great what i remember.

[@Cammi_Rosalie]

GREAT SCOTT! I just realized the model number of your own meter.. With 121GW (1.21 Giggawatts) it'll go back to the future.

[@rentacowisgoogle]

"A multimeter has one job!" well yeah, that's why it's called a multi-meter.

[@sanityd1]

The only part of the software that works is the ml product ID and purchase link to probably fake batteries on Amazon, this is peak 2019.

[@MauroTamm]

"You have resistance". Very useful.

[@jcardboard]

Traditional multimeters are so difficult to use that I remember using them with no difficulty when I was 12 at school in physics and technical/electronics classes. And I was bad at those classes. Thank god for this much more fiddly to use product that's too expensive for schools to justify buying, now finally children can use them!

[@stephennetter1423]

That guy in the commercial looked like he never used a multimeter in his life

[@uwezimmermann5427]

all these multimeters with auto-off .... So one their claimed advantages is that they do not have a red and a black probe, instead they have one ring and two rings???

[@haajee1]

I always forgot to turn my multimeter off. But after a 15 minutes and no changes in measuring it will beep and then after 1 minute turn off. It saves me battery ;)

[@uwezimmermann5427]

@@haajee1 - the ones I own and have seen so far will switch off after a certain time (with or without previous warning) whether there are changes in the measurement readings or not.... e.e. the Aneng8008, but also other reputable brands...

[@JaredConnell]

I've only had cheapo meters that do not have auto off and I usually have to buy a new battery every time I go to use it because I always forget to turn it off lol

[@H-77]

I can't stand the auto-off. If it's a power amp I'm working on, I probably want to look at thermal tracking in the output stage. One meter monitors that current, and I may test it over the course of several hours with varying loads and temperatures. Automatic power-off becomes very annoying.

[@markg735]

I see the problem with your 9V battery Dave. The Vion says it's only 15Hz! What gives. Pffft.

[@volvo09]

If someone bought this because electronics were scary and unknown, this product would keep it that way. No way you can learn with unstable unreliable readings that keep you wondering.

[@GerbenWijnja]

You convinced me, I want one! The 121GW, that is.

[@Mic_Glow]

if you can't turn a knob you shouldn't dabble with electricity at all. Every device comes with magical book called "instruction manual" which allows someone with a bit of frontal lobe development and the rare ability to read to use it on a basic level. The manual also doesn't use "technical jargon" as stated in their ad.

[@maximilianmustermann5763]

and in the age of KZbin, there are tons of video tutorials from which you can learn how to use a multimeter. It's what really amazes me most about the younger generations - they apparently live on social media but can't even be bothered to watch a tutorial about anything on youtube.

[@BurntTransistor]

People should wear the thing as a necklace, so I can identify them as suckers for buying the stupid thing

[@beamfinder8336]

"It's better off not existing"^LOL

[@Yp-ku4sy]

I like the brief product model flashing up at 20:47 as "aaa". Really professional.

[@MultiWirth]

People who believe in free energy will use this device.

[@reggiebacci]

Given the accuracy - they'll find plenty too

[@fabronfretwell3257]

Especially since everything you test is 'charging'

[@tomstdenis]

User: How many volts is this battery? Meter: Uh, I dunno, banana? no, wait, 34 ohms no wait, sail boat!!! definitely sail boat!

[@RichardWatt]

Meter: what's a battery?

[@MrTripcore]

Red = Good Green = Bad Your product = Fail

[@JorgeAlbertoBenavidesOjinaga]

"No, no, just no." Great deep review mate.

[@ArixZajicek]

You know, a simple voltmeter of that form factor would be useful, but with a display on the probe. And, well, that gives accurate readings. Even if they'd cloned the voltage detection circuitry of an ultra cheap multimeter it'd be better than it already is.

[@EEVblog]

They are called pen multimeters, plenty on the market.

[@LazerLord10]

Honestly, a DMM that had a talking option could be useful.

[@markkupartanen9583]

I would be tempted to buy this thing for car audio measuring due to oscilloscope. Thank god for honest reviews like this.

[@lightningslim]

You shouldn't laugh at "Experts!" They have hats! 😂

[@grhinson]

I'm holding out for Version 2.0

[@steve1978ger]

traditional multimeters and their technical jargon... "volts", "amps", and the little squatting man - you don't need that to be an rcuratte electricist

[@pyromen321]

It seems like the guy in their ad is the designer and he wasn’t actually acting when he was struggling with the multimeter.

[@MegaFPVFlyer]

Neat idea, and could probably prove useful for some field troubleshooting work. If the design wasn't so terrible, it might be able to complement an EE's usual arsenal, but the idea that it could replace a proper multimeter is totally insane.

[@robbyxp1]

You should have ended by sending 10kv through it ;-)

[@Jose-Sousa]

I have a very old and cheap (and tiny as well) 3€ multimeter... somehow, I would trust it more that this...

[@kostis2849]

That child giggle at 17:05 . Love you man, keep the inner child alive.

[@restcure]

Since you mentioned it, yes, I _would_ be interested in seeing what big toes down would look like.

[@SoftBreadSoftware]

Yikes!! I'll take a two dollar Chinese meter over that any day.

[@rotareneg]

You think it's so easy?!? I'd like to see YOU design a better multimeter! Oh, wait... :D

[@tookitogo]

rotareneg ...and indeed, even for a legitimately talented guy like Dave, it’s proven to be FAR harder than expected, with his meter still having deal-breaker bugs that have yet to be fixed. I guess the Korean multimeter maker has been less capable than hoped.

[@James-cb7nb]

@@tookitogo like what? wasnt this like a couple years ago

[@tookitogo]

James This video was less than a year ago. The issues with Dave’s 121GW multimeter are ongoing. It was first announced about two years ago and shipped about a year ago.

[@James-cb7nb]

@@tookitogo oh I was talking about his bm235

[@tookitogo]

James That one wasn’t designed by him. It’s an off the shelf model with minor firmware tweaks. The original commenter and I both were clearly talking about his from-scratch design, the 121GW.

[@gavincurtis]

Perfect for my Crosley record player repair shop with Penny Farthing parking.

[@NickCollide]

I love this video... You started like a kid on Christmas morning to "Holy hell! What is this crap?!" in 2.5 seconds 😀 good job! I lol'ed

[@garyhardman8369]

Failing to solve a problem that didn't exist...

[@EEVblog]

Spot on!

[@kokodin5895]

give this to joe smith for safety surge testing i would rather blow a fuse than a magic wand in my hand and by the way, i do not own a phone , but i do own few multimeters i belive this thing would be useless to me

[@waltercomunello121]

*cocky Millennial approaching with the Vion* Dave (smiling): "Is that a multimeter?" *Dave pulls out his 121GW* *Millennials freaking out from the sheer awesomeness of the thing* Dave: "THIS is a multimeter." *promptly proceeds to measure the shit out of them*

[@notamouse5630]

This is a lets make smart products for stupid users design. Not only does it fail to be intelligent, it fails to make users dumber, and it succeeds in making them angrier.

[@povilasstaniulis9484]

This is clearly targeted towards folks, who like to use their smartphone for everything, even for things which aren't really practical to do with a smartphone. Like measuring voltages.

[@Tupeutla]

wow metal screws just under you fingers ! your will measure mains with that ? hope the fuse is not bellow edit it IS ! always comment live ! so my feelings ..

[@ahmadaamer6]

3:42 I hope I never see my electrician using this thing.

[@tookitogo]

ahmadaamer6 Right??? If someone showed up with this, I’d show them out before they had a chance to touch anything.

[@DerekWitt]

It’s the Batterizer of multimeters!

[@NICK-uy3nl]

OK, It's a multimeter app for you smartphone with Bluetooth connectivity. The concept is plausible and can be useful for people who can't live without their smartphones - but this implementation is horrendous... I am sure we will see a multitude of test equipment coming out as smartphone apps in future, even Fluke may come out with one and I would be a buyer !

[@johnfrancisdoe1563]

NICK Yep, overall idea was great, marketing wanky, implementation fail. 121GW had it's version 1 fails too, just not as many (autoranging speed in resistance mode for example).

[@NICK-uy3nl]

Once you get the measurement data in the smartphone, the possibilities are endless. You could chart, plot, trend and compare measurements, run analysis and email it to colleagues, as well as use the smartphone as a scope, there are a lot of things you could do with a powerful quad-core smartphones, Dave Jones had better pay careful attention here.

[@TheMFrelly]

Then the wife rings and all the data is gone!

[@miklov]

Haha, this was more entertaining than I thought it would be, fun content!